Monochronic and Polychronic Differences: Time
Introduction
A cultural anthropologist named, Edward Hall, introduced the concepts of low context and high context cultures in the mid twentieth century. A wide range of characteristics and behaviors determine the context classification of a culture. And within the two different cultural contexts, identified by Hall, there is a contrasting view of time, which is considered to be a non-verbal tool for communication. The study of how different perspectives of time within different cultures affect communication is called chronemics. There are two cultural views associated with chronemics, monochronic or polychronic, and sometimes referred to as m-time and p-time.
Low context cultures are monochronic and “emphasize schedules, a precise reckoning of time, and promptness.” (HR, 2002) High context cultures are polychronic and “tend to handle multiple things concurrently (or intermittently during a time period) and to emphasize the number of completed transactions and the number of people involved, rather than the adherence to time schedule.” (HR, 2002) In terms of business, the cultural perspective of time can affect communication, and …show more content…
This is why it is so important to develop an understanding of p-time and m-time if managers want to build strong, mutually beneficial relationships with foreign partners. If a manager shows up late to a meeting being held by a monochronic group, he/she will be viewed as rude and unprofessional. If a manager attempts to be too rigid with time and does not foster the personal relationships with the members of a polychronic group, he/she will be viewed as unprofessional and rude. These examples are simple but effective in showing the possible conflict that can arise if mangers and leaders within multi-national business organizations do not educate themselves on cultural differences related to
Introduction
A cultural anthropologist named, Edward Hall, introduced the concepts of low context and high context cultures in the mid twentieth century. A wide range of characteristics and behaviors determine the context classification of a culture. And within the two different cultural contexts, identified by Hall, there is a contrasting view of time, which is considered to be a non-verbal tool for communication. The study of how different perspectives of time within different cultures affect communication is called chronemics. There are two cultural views associated with chronemics, monochronic or polychronic, and sometimes referred to as m-time and p-time.
Low context cultures are monochronic and “emphasize schedules, a precise reckoning of time, and promptness.” (HR, 2002) High context cultures are polychronic and “tend to handle multiple things concurrently (or intermittently during a time period) and to emphasize the number of completed transactions and the number of people involved, rather than the adherence to time schedule.” (HR, 2002) In terms of business, the cultural perspective of time can affect communication, and …show more content…
This is why it is so important to develop an understanding of p-time and m-time if managers want to build strong, mutually beneficial relationships with foreign partners. If a manager shows up late to a meeting being held by a monochronic group, he/she will be viewed as rude and unprofessional. If a manager attempts to be too rigid with time and does not foster the personal relationships with the members of a polychronic group, he/she will be viewed as unprofessional and rude. These examples are simple but effective in showing the possible conflict that can arise if mangers and leaders within multi-national business organizations do not educate themselves on cultural differences related to